DATE: Monday, September 29, 1997            TAG: 9709290168

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

WEEKEND FISHING

The fishing could not have been much hotter for the three top teams in the third annual Virginia Beach Neptune Festival Surf Fishing Tournament.

The record 31 four-person squads caught 974 fish and scored 1,925 points, also records, with 182 of the fish and 432 points coming from the three leading squads.

Most scoring fish were small blues and spot, with fish scored by length.

The Jersey Connection of Berlin, N.J., was the winning team with 54 fish and 287 points, followed by the Lectric Fishermen of Virginia Beach with 68 and 126 and Hoss's Fishing Team of Lewes, Del., with 60 and 119.

The winning team included Gary Born, Bruce Barry, Phil Dowdell and Kirt Fillmen.

Scott Cole, Bob Cole, Mike Sabaten and Eric Carlson represented the Lectric Fishermen, while the Lewes team included Hoss Cochran, Mary Cochran, Randy Crossman and Libby Owens.

Elsewhere, Judy Salyers of Wachapreague won the annual Hotel Wachapreague and Island House Restaurant fall flounder tournament with a 6-pound, 4-ounce flatfiish. She narrowly beat out Robert L. Baker of Seaford, Del., whose flounder weighed 6-3.

Baker also had the No. 3 fish at 5-7, followed by Bob Gaddis of Pocomoke, Md., at 4-5 and Ted Dietrich of Seaford, Del., at 4-4.

Greg Monky of Norfolk and Apollo Quiban of Virginia Beach won a largemouth bass tournament Sunday out of Bob's Fishing Hole on the Northwest River with a combined catch weighing 18.03 pounds. Monkey had the lunker at 6.02.

Here's a rundown of other recent catches by anglers from Southeast Virginia and Northeast North Carolina:

VIRGINIA BEACH INSHORE: No outstanding catches reported.

VIRGINIA BEACH OFFSHORE: White marlin release: John Barnes, Virginia Beach, caught from the boat Wing Nut. Wahoo: Mick Mundy, Virginia Beach, 50-0, Juggernaut. Tautog: Michael A. Pelletier, Chesapeake, 9 pounds, 9 ounces, no name on boat.

LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY: Flounder: Brian Hauser, Virginia Beach, 10-2, Out Foxed; Paul Huggins, Virginia Beach, 7-12, no name; Kirby Johnson Jr., Chesapeake, 7-0, and Kirby Johnson Sr., Chesapeake, 6-0, both Big Johnson; Allan T. Sivils, Chesapeake, 6-12, no name; Jim Amos, Virginia Beach, 6-4, Danny Boy; Michael Weatherford, Virginia Beach, 6-0, Miss Anna; and Mike Ney, Virginia Beach, 6-0, no name. Croaker: Edward Sciortino, Virginia Beach, 3-5, no name; Stephen W. Cooper, Virginia Beach, 3-3, Striker; and Robert Kent, Virginia Beach, 3-2, no name.

EASTERN SHORE: Red drum release: Wayland T. Pond, Suffolk, Finagler. Flounder: Larry Davenport, Cherrystone, 6-4, Hey Dabby.

OUTER BANKS INSHORE: Red drum release: Randy Williams, Portsmouth, caught from the surf. Spanish mackerel: Alan Yiengst, Buxton, N.C., 7-10, no name. Pompano: James Bailey, Buxton, 2-9, surf. Kingfish (sea mullet): James Bailey, Buxton, 2-3; and Benjamin Spears, Hatteras, 2-0, surf.

OUTER BANKS OFFSHORE: Blue marlin release: Timothy Hampton, Suffolk, Outer Limits. Sailfish release: Lee White Jr., Franklin, Marlin Mania; and Thomas Wilson, Suffolk, Wahoo. Wahoo: Colon Whitehurst, Chesapeake, 40-0, Outer Limits.

FRESHWATER: Largemouth bass: Joshua Brown, Norfolk, 23 1/4 inches, caught in private pond. Shellcracker: Christopher Justice, Chesapeake, 1-10, Lake Prince; Mike Seimetz, Chesapeake, 1-4, Prince; and Alice Davis, Ivor, 1-3, 1-1, Prince. Blue catfish: Van Turpin, Chesapeake, 37-0, 26-0, 20-0, and 20-0, all James River. Channel catfish: Van Turpin, Chesapeake, 14-0, James River.

TOURNAMENTS: Results of the Virginia Beach Anglers Club king mackerel tournament:

King mackerel: 1. David Trax, Virginia Beach, Aqua Trax, 30.9 pounds; 2. Paul Shehane, Chesapeake, Echo Nav, 21.5; 3. Carolyn Brown, Virginia Beach, Big Crab, 17.0.

Spanish mackerel: 1. John Foxwell, Virginia Beach, Miss Tori, 3.3; 2. Jim McCorkle, Virginia Beach, King Cafe, 2.7. No third.

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